


Out of the Dark

by TMar



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 22:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17068199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMar/pseuds/TMar
Summary: The "missing scene" in which Richie wakes up after being shot in "The Darkness".





	Out of the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in April 1995 before the episode "Leader of the Pack" aired. (It was in this episode that they finally showed the "missing" scene from "The Darkness" Ironically, the scene was not filmed during "The Darkness" but during the two-part episode "Counterfeit".)

OUT OF THE DARK

Richie Ryan opened his eyes, trying to remember what had just  
happened. All he could remember was some sort of pain, hitting  
the road, and... awakening. Then it hit - 'I was shot!' Then,  
"Tessa!" Richie struggled to sit up, wondering why the pain had  
gone away. As he sat up, he saw: Duncan MacLeod, cradling Tessa  
in his arms, crying and rocking her back and forth.

"Mac?" Richie asked, in a very uncertain voice. Please don't  
let her be dead, he thought. The two of them loved her too much.

Duncan stopped rocking Tessa and just looked at him. With a  
very odd expression on his face.

"Mac?" asked Richie again.

Duncan tried to find his voice. "She..." It trailed away,  
breaking. "She's gone."

Richie didn't know what to do, or what to say. He'd always had  
some answer, something, but now there was nothing. He just stared  
at Duncan, Duncan holding Tessa, looking at him with the oddest  
expression on his face. Finally, Richie couldn't take it anymore.  
"Mac, we..."

Duncan seemed to rouse himself and nodded, swallowing. "Yeah.  
I know. We have to call the cops."

"I'll go." His injuries forgotten, Richie got up and headed  
towards the house.

"Richie. Wait." Richie stopped in his tracks. "What?"

Duncan seemed to think twice, and replied, "Nothing."

As Richie walked back into the Tudor house, he felt... weird.  
But his grief and confusion clouded all his other emotions. He  
dialled 911 and reported the shooting. And the kidnapping.

On his way out, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His  
shirt had two gaping holes in it, and he was covered in blood.  
"Oh, my God!" Richie lifted his shirt, to check how badly he was  
bleeding. But all he could see was smooth flesh. "What the hell  
is going on?" he said aloud, rushing through the door and back  
into the street.

"Mac, what's going on?"

Duncan didn't look at him. "Before the cops arrive, go in  
there, wash the blood off and find something else to put on."

"What?"

Duncan's voice never rose above that quiet, determined tone  
he sometimes used when he was very, very angry... or very, very  
upset. "Just do as I say."

"Okay." Richie's mind was still reeling. He waited to feel  
tears coming to his eyes over Tessa's death, but nothing came.  
All the grief remained *inside* him, and would not be let free. 

Richie found an old shirt in one of the upstairs closets and  
put it on after washing all the blood off of himself. He didn't  
have time to check for bullet holes, but he knew he wouldn't find  
any. He didn't know why he was so certain, but he was.

When he returned to Duncan, he heard the sirens in the  
distance. And then MacLeod turned to him, and all in a rush said,  
"The guy didn't shoot you, do you understand? He missed you and  
he panicked and ran." When Richie didn't reply Duncan looked him  
in the eye and yelled, "Do you understand, Richie?!"

"Yes!"

A cop car and ambulance skidded to a halt next to where Duncan  
sat holding Tessa. Two policemen got out; one rushing into the  
Tudor house, the other waiting patiently. The paramedics rushed  
up to him, but they couldn't get Duncan to let go. "Please, sir,  
there might still be something we can do."

"She's dead. There isn't anything anybody can do."

"Sir, we need to verify that for ourselves."

At that, Richie stepped in. "Mac, they have to do this."

Duncan swallowed, nodded. He relinquished his hold on the  
woman he loved, watching as the paramedics checked her over, and  
shook their heads. Duncan got up, just in time to be accosted by  
a police officer.

"You'll have to come to the station and give your statement,"  
he said.

Duncan just nodded, as the man's partner came out of the  
house. "There's a dead guy in there," he said. "Looks like he was  
stabbed, or killed with a sword."

"Sword," said Duncan.

"You killed him?"

Richie chipped in, "It was self-defense! The guy was trying  
to kill him!"

"You'll have to come downtown and explain," said the cop.

Duncan nodded. "Can I take my car?"

The cop shook his head. "I think you'd better come with us."

Duncan nodded again, but his eyes were on Tessa as the  
ambulance doors closed and the ambulance took her away.

"What about me?" asked Richie. "I was a witness."

"You can use your own car," said the cop.

***

The questioning had not gone well. Duncan just sat, staring  
vacantly at the wall, answering yes or no to most questions.  
Richie had to fill in the details.

"This guy kidnapped Miss Noel, and you didn't call us?"

"Look, detective, the guy promised to kill her if we called  
you!" The Watcher hadn't said any such thing, but neither of the  
two men wanted to explain why they hadn't called.

"I still don't understand the need for the sword."

"The guy said to bring it, no guns," said Richie. "He tried  
to kill Mac in the dark, by using night-vision goggles!"

The detective nodded. "Yeah. But I still don't like this." He  
addressed Duncan. "Your name is on a dozen police reports, but  
nothing to implicate you in any murders. And your story of Miss  
Noel being kidnapped is borne out by the evidence. We found  
evidence of at least two other people having been kidnapped and  
held in that room. And there's blood from at least two other  
people besides our kidnapper on the floor of that darkened room.  
I think we were dealing with a very sick, twisted individual,  
possibly a serial killer. You're lucky to have escaped."

"We know," said Richie.

"Can I leave now?" asked Duncan.

"Yeah. We'll still need Mr Ryan's help in doing a sketch of  
the guy who shot Tessa Noel."

Duncan got up, exited the room as Richie watched after him.  
He wanted to rush after Mac, to be with him at this time... But  
he also knew that Duncan would not accept his support. Duncan  
wanted to be alone in this.

***

When he was finished at the station, Richie couldn't bring  
himself to go back to the antique store. Instead he wandered  
around in the city centre, thinking.

He'd been shot. He'd felt the pain. His shirt had been a  
bloody, shredded mess. But he had no bullet wounds, no pain. He  
could understand being shot and surviving. But... he'd been shot  
and *healed*. Completely. "It can't be," he muttered to himself.  
"It can't be." But he knew it was.

He remembered his first encounter with Immortals all those  
months ago. He remembered Duncan and Tessa returning after a few  
days, finding him and offering him a way out. "So, you two are  
like saying I can come and live with you and learn the antique  
trade?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you scared I'll rip you off or something?"

Duncan had grabbed him by the collar and looked into his eyes.  
"I think we both know you wouldn't do that."

"You're right, I wouldn't. But I just have one question: why  
me? This can't be to keep me quiet, you already did me a favour  
by dropping the charges."

Duncan had shrugged. "Connor thinks you've got potential. So  
do I. I think we all know you can be something more than a petty  
thief. Now, are you going to take us up on this offer or not?"

"Why not," Richie had responded.

But now, Richie remembered Duncan's tone when he'd said,  
"Connor thinks you've got potential. So do I."

"They knew!" Richie said, startling people walking past him.  
"I'll be damned! They knew!"

***

He went back to the antique store when it started getting light.  
If nothing else, he had to change clothes. But he didn't know how  
he was going to face Duncan. He didn't know how he was going to  
remain calm and not yell at MacLeod for not telling him the  
truth. 

He found Duncan standing alone in the shop, a broken look on  
his face.

"Mac?" He thought he felt... something... but this was all new  
to him, and he wondered if he truly sensed Duncan, or if it was  
just all these feelings inside wanting to get out.

Duncan must have been preoccupied, because he only looked up  
when Richie spoke. "I made all the arrangements," he said  
quietly. "I'll fly to Paris this afternoon."

"You mean we'll fly to Paris."

"No. You have to stay here." 

"Why, Mac?"

"This is something I have to do alone, Richie. I can't handle  
you and Tessa at the same time."

"Okay." Richie didn't push. He knew that Duncan always tried  
to do everything alone.

Duncan hesitated then, which was unusual for him. "Richie...  
can I have some time alone? In here? I need... I need to let go,  
or..."

"I understand, Mac. I have to change clothes, but after that  
I'll leave you alone."

Duncan didn't notice when Richie went out of the building, he  
was lost in memories of the woman he had loved... the one true  
love of his life. He'd always known she'd die, but not like this.  
Not so soon. 

He remembered what she'd asked him, "Do you learn how to cope?"

"No matter how many years go by, when they leave - "

"Die."

"Yes. When they die, you're naked and alone."

That was how he felt. Naked and alone. Some part of him said,  
"You have Richie," but Duncan couldn't do it. He couldn't share  
this, not with Richie, not with anybody. And he didn't want to  
deal with Richie right now. Not with Richie's questions, or the  
explanations that would go with them. Not right now.

Duncan left the store, locked the door. As he did so, he felt  
the buzz of another Immortal. It brought home to him again that  
it had actually *happened*: Richie had become Immortal. When he  
got back from Paris, he'd have to start training Richie. At least  
he'd be able to focus on something.

As he walked towards the young Immortal, Duncan saw questions  
in Richie's eyes. Questions he couldn't bring himself to answer  
now. But he had to say something.

"You're one of us now."

Richie had a million questions, but he saw the pain in  
MacLeod's eyes, so he said nothing as Duncan handed him the keys  
to the antique store. "Sell it."

Richie took the keys and headed for the store, but Duncan's voice  
stopped him. "Richie... watch your head."

Duncan walked to the car; Richie went into the store. Lots to  
pack up, much to do before selling. Everything went by in a blur  
as over the next two days Richie did as he was asked.

When he was finished, he rented a van to come and move his and  
Duncan's boxes. The van would take them to a little place he'd  
found while he waited for Duncan to get back from Paris.

Finally finished in the store, Richie headed for his bike. But  
something made him turn in the doorway and look back. "Goodbye,  
Tessa," he said. 

And then the tears came, and the feelings came spilling out. Richie   
leaned against the door frame, mourning a beautiful, fantastic woman   
whom he had loved. Who had been his friend, despite some rough   
patches. He knew that things would never be the same without her.

Richie got on his bike and rode away, leaving the antique  
store behind forever.

THE END


End file.
